Football Academies and Trials for Young Players
For boys and girls who dream of playing professionally, and the parents helping them. Most routes start with regular grassroots football. This guide explains how academies find players, how trials work and how to keep a young player safe. It is free to read, with no sign-up.
No one can promise a trial, a place or a contract
Sixpence Support UK does not arrange trials or recommend players to clubs. Academy places are limited and selection is decided by each club. Be very wary of anyone who says they can guarantee a trial, an academy place or a professional contract.
First practical steps
- Join a grassroots team and play regular matches. Steady match time, enjoyment and good coaching matter more than one big day. Clubs and scouts watch local and school football.3
- Ask the coach about next steps. Your child's coach knows their game and may know how local academies or development centres find players.
- Check the club's own official academy recruitment page. Look on the club's official website for how it recruits and which age groups it is looking at. Age groups and arrangements change.
- A parent should check any invitation. If someone invites your child to a trial, find the club's contact details yourself from its official website and contact the club to confirm. Do not rely on a phone number or link in the message.
Scouting, invitations and trials
Scouting: clubs usually find young players by watching grassroots, school and development-centre football, and through recommendations from coaches. You usually cannot apply to an academy in the way you apply for a job.
Invited trials: if a club is interested, it may invite a player to train with them for a short trial period. A genuine invitation can be confirmed directly with the club.
Open trials: some clubs occasionally hold official open trials or recruitment days. Only trust these if they are announced on the club's own website or official channels. We do not list trial dates, because they change and we cannot check every one.
The Premier League Parent Hub explains how academies work and what to expect as a parent.1
Private coaching and paid showcases are different
Private coaching, holiday camps and paid "showcase" or "scouting" events can be enjoyable and may help skills. They are not the same as a club academy recruiting a player. Paying for one does not mean an academy will see your child, offer a trial or offer a place.
Before you book, ask who runs it, whether any club is actually involved, and what you get for the fee. Check any claimed link with the club itself.
Routes for boys and girls
Boys may be scouted into professional club academies. In England, Premier League and EFL clubs run youth development programmes.
Girls have their own pathway. In England, Girls' Emerging Talent Centres support talented girls, and some clubs run girls' academy or development programmes.2 Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own performance programmes.
Age limits, eligibility, how players are chosen and where sessions are held vary by programme and change over time. Always check the current details on the official page.
Questions parents should ask
- Training: how many sessions and matches each week, and for how long?
- School: how does the programme fit around school, homework and exams?
- Travel: where are sessions held, how will your child get there, and is any travel support offered?
- Fees: are there any costs at all, including kit, travel or tournaments? Get them in writing.
- Welfare: who is the club's welfare or safeguarding officer, and how do you contact them?
- Wellbeing: how does the club support players who are released or who want to stop?
Check before you pay or share your child's details
- Check the organiser is genuine before paying anything or giving your child's name, date of birth, photos, school or address.
- Be wary of promises of guaranteed contracts, pressure to decide or pay quickly, and unsolicited messages on social media.
- Genuine clubs contact parents for children, not just the child. Keep communication with parents included.
- If something worries you about a child's safety, contact the club's welfare officer or your national football association's safeguarding team. If a child is in immediate danger, call 999.
If a trial does not work out
Many players are not offered a place, or are released later. It is not the end of playing football. Ask politely for feedback on what to work on, keep playing regular matches with a grassroots team, and keep enjoying the game. Some players are spotted again later.
Keep school and other interests going too. Talk with your child about how they feel, and get support if they are struggling.
Official links by nation
England
Scotland
Wales
For academies in Wales, check each club's own official academy page. Swansea City's is one example.6
Northern Ireland
Related guides
Sources checked 13 November 2026. Sixpence Support UK is free to read, with no sign-up.
- [1] Premier League. Parent Hub · 2026
- [2] England Football. Emerging Talent Centres · 2026
- [3] England Football. Finding football for your child · 2026
- [4] Scottish FA. Performance · 2026
- [5] Irish FA. JD National Performance Programme · 2026
- [6] Football Association of Wales. FAW · 2026
- [7] NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit. Information for parents · 2026